Valentine's Chess
by mercscilla
Summary: Spending Valentine's Day in isolation is getting to Chloe but Rush wouldn't be Rush if he hadn't something planned.


**Author's Note:** Written for the "Valentine's Day Quickie" challenge at stargateland at livejournal.  
**Disclaimer:** I own neither the show nor the characters. I don't earn any money with this piece. I just do it for fun.

* * *

Last Year's Valentine's Day had came and gone without anyone noticing it. They had been - as so often those days - in the middle of a run-in and then running from the blue aliens which had left no time to remember (let alone celebrate) holidays or birthdays.

Only after T.J.'s baby shower they had slowly started with the tradition again. Birthdays and every holiday anyone of the group celebrated because in these times they really needed something bright and cheerful to look forward to and that kept their spirits up.

Chloe understands that, really, she does - she had been one of the first to suggest and help planning them - but now...

Her head hits her pillow and a heavy sigh escapes her lips, her eyes sliding shut. Isolation isn't so bad.

No, really, it's not.

She groans. Who the hell is she kidding.

If she could she would knock herself out but then Young would probably think she's blacking out again and put her under heavier surveillance as she already is and _that_ is the last thing she wants. And needs.

Instead she turns her face to her left, presses her mouth into the pillow and screams. Lets out all her frustration and anger, sadness and fear, everything she can't put in words and tell anyone because they have all abandon her more or less.

They haven't really but now she can count the number of her visitors on one hand. That is so... A tear slips down her cheek but Chloe angrily wipes it away.

She is slowly becoming something else but it's not only the others who fear that something. She herself dreads what she's turning into and what no one seems to realize is that she _needs_ someone to stand by her side, help her through it, no matter what happens.

Well, Matt and Eli are both all big words but when it comes to take action and keep true to their promises, they always seem to be somewhere else. And Rush...oh, yes, _he_ is real-

The chime of her door sounds and startles Chloe out of her brooding. Before the door even slides open, she knows who's going to be on the other side. Perfect timing and all that are his specialty.

"Hello, Chloe."

In seconds he has crossed the room and made himself comfortable at the end of her bed, pushing her feet aside, making room for himself.

She doesn't know whether she wants to throttle or hug him. Touching others, little things like a hand gracing another, fingertips dancing over skin, hugs and handshakes, are no longer part of her life and it's only Rush who seems to ignore Col. Young's order and invade her personal space whenever he likes it.

This time is no different. Bastard. He knows she thrives on it but hell has to freeze over before she's going to show him how much it means to her and so she resorts to sarcasm.

"Here to give me another batch of equations?"

Rush shakes his head, gives her a long look and Chloe feels blood rushing to her cheeks. Ever since he found out what she is capable of, he sometimes watches her with this look in his eyes that sends shivers down her spine and makes her fingertips tingle. Too bad she can't just _go_. Damn it.

"Well? Why are you here then?"

Setting a bag in the middle of her bed, he starts rummaging in it, glancing once or twice at her while doing so, and smirks when he sees her obvious interest, even though she tries to hide it but nice surprises are rare these days.

"I thought that maybe you would care for a game of chess." He's not looking at her as he says it and Chloe is at a loss of words because _he- and chess- Valen- and_ what_?_

He pulls the chess board out and places it next to the bag, still ignoring her and the emotions running across her face.

"Neither you nor I are in the mood for Valentine's Day, so I hoped we could try something else?" The last part comes out as a question and for a moment she sees behind his facade, sees that Rush isn't as confident as he wants her to believe. Her eyes slowly travel from his face to the hand that offers her a piece of chess. It's black and something yellow is wrapped around the upper part of it.

She takes it from him, her fingers lightly gracing his, and Rush clears his throat. "So? What do you think?" Chloe opens her mouth to answer but then she sees the paper slip wrapped around the knight and breaks into a fit of giggles, breaking the tension and setting the mood for the rest of the evening at the same time.

Rush gave them all names. The knight she holds is _Lt. Scott_ and there is _Young_, the King, and _Camile_, the Queen, over there _Mr. Brody_, a bishop, and _Lisa Park_, a rook, and-

"Oh, god..." It takes a few moments for her to calm down but she finally manages it. Wouldn't do her any good if her guards find her giggling hysterically while Rush looks downright _happy_.

"I guess you like the idea?"

She raises an eyebrow, returns his grin with one of her own, and snatches the white Queen from the batch on the bed.

"I'll play white."

- END -

(Needless to say that black lost every time that evening. No matter who played white.)


End file.
